CHAMPAIGN, Ill.—University of Illinois President B. Joseph White resigned Wednesday following reports that the school admitted politically connected applicants over more qualified ones at its Urbana-Champaign campus.
White said he sent a resignation letter to Christopher Kennedy, the chairman of the university's board of trustees.
"I take this action to enable you as a newly constituted Board to select University leadership going forward," White wrote in the letter. "It has been a privilege for my wife, Mary, and me to serve the University community. We remain highly committed to the University of Illinois."
According to a university news release, White will remain with the central Illinois school to teach and raise funds. His resignation is effective Dec. 31.
News reports first surfaced in May that politically connected applicants for spots at the university's flagship campus in Urbana-Champaign were given special attention and tracked through a list known as Category I. Those reports and documents later released by the university showed that some of those connected applicants were admitted over more qualified ones.
